NJ ‘Gun Rabbi’ teaches Torah of self-defense
Jews need to rethink their relationship with firearms, says Bendory
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Rabbi Dovid Bendory, aka The Gun Rabbi, gives firearms instruction at a June 12 fund-raiser sponsored by the Golani Rifle and Pistol Club. Photo by Ron Kaplan
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June 15, 2011
Rabbi Dovid Bendory has the training and credentials of a conventional Orthodox rabbi, albeit one with an organizer’s flare. He’s the founder of Pidyon, an educational organization committed to spirituality and a teacher of kashrut for the Shema Yisrael Torah Network.
You certainly do not think his business card would identify him as “The Gun Rabbi.”
But according to his website — thegunrabbi.com — Bendory is a “Certified NRA Instructor and Range Safety Officer” who “offers practical instruction in firearms safety and shooting accompanied by the religious and ethical insights on personal defense that only an Orthodox Rabbi can provide.”
So it was that about 50 people — including a handful of women — plunked down $120 each to join Bendory at Gun for Hire, a shooting range in Belleville, for a lesson in firearms mixed with a passionate defense of Israel.
The June 12 event benefited the One Israel Fund and was sponsored by the Golani Rifle and Pistol Club, a Teaneck-based organization established in 2001 by a group of Orthodox Jews who wanted to have a Sabbath-observant venue for shooting, according to the club’s acting president (who requested not to be identified).
Bendory, who lives in Livingston and is a member of Congregation Etz Chaim, instructed guests on the fundamentals of gun safety and operation before they split into smaller groups. (A show of hands indicated that about three-quarters of the participants had experience with firearms; several had brought weapons with them.)
One group went across the street to the actual firing range, squeezing into individual lanes to shoot at targets depicting attackers.
The remaining group listened to a presentation by Marc Prowisor, director of security for the One Israel Fund, which, according to its website, raises funds for Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria as well as Jews displaced by Israel’s evacuation of Gaza. Prowisor spoke about the murders of members of the Fogel family in Itamar in March and the need for continued vigilance for the protection of the settlements.
As guests noshed on hot dogs and hamburgers, Bendory discussed his “evolution” with NJ Jewish News.
His interest in Jewish security issues began after the 9/11 attacks.
“I started seeing events in the world change,” he said. “I started asking questions on Halacha [Jewish law]: What does Halacha have to say to me about firearms as a means of self-defense? So I spent some time in the Talmud and learned that Halacha has a very clear message…. Basically, your life is a gift from God and if someone tries to take it away from you, you have an obligation to try to prevent that.”
Bendory, 43, chose his words carefully when discussing what he called “liberal Jewish Democrats” who advocate gun control.
“Jews have a very long history of being at the wrong end of a gun barrel,” he said. “When we think about guns we think about them being used against us. We have a tendency not to think about the gun as an incredibly valuable defensive tool. In a world where you have arrests in New York City of, quote unquote, ‘home-grown terrorists’ who are buying guns to go have shootings in synagogues, in a world where you have a shooting at the Holocaust Museum in Washington and the JCC in Seattle and the JCC in LA — and I could go on and on — the reality is that for certain kind of attacks, the handgun is the best defensive weapon we have.”
Bendory’s mission, he said, “is to get Jews to rethink their relationship with firearms.”
He noted the dichotomy between American and Israeli Jews.
“We look with pride at Israeli soldiers and the Israeli army’s ability to defend the country, but we would never think about such things for ourselves. I’m not sure what the root and origins of that are, but I find that most Jews, if you can get them to actually think about the issues, are not as anti-gun as they thought they were.”
Bendory proffered a DVD of No Guns for Jews and asked a reporter to “look at it with an open mind.” Bendory is the featured speaker in the documentary, produced under the aegis of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. It argues how countries — most notably Nazi Germany — have victimized Jews in part by forbidding them from owning weapons. In the film, Bendory muses about the outcome of the Warsaw uprising — and perhaps the Holocaust — had more Jews and Polish partisans had the means and will to fight back.
“What would have been if they had a few hundred guns and a few hundred people willing to pick them up?” he asked.
Bendory said such threats against Jews on American soil “are not quite active,” but warned, “They’re getting there.”
None of the participants at the Golani event was prepared to talk to a reporter on the record about their interest in guns — but when it came to fending off other threats, they looked ready.
Comments
sidney goldfarb md
June 16, 2011
This is a much more favorable article about gun ownership than the usual “liberal” jewish newspapers have previously published, and you are to be commended for it.
Legal and lawful use of firearms is completely different from the usual kneejerk reaction to ‘gun control’ arguments that I hear. “If only we lived in a world where no one had guns, this would be a better place” , is the typical cry. Unfortunately, we don’t live in such a world. We can pray for it, but criminals will break laws and commit crimes and we need to defend ourselves if needed.
Matthew Carmel
June 16, 2011
“Never again” is not a slogan. If Jews truly wish to assure a Holocaust is not revisted upon us, they should carefully consider the defensive role of firearms.
Rabbi Channen
June 16, 2011
Rabbi Bendory is truly an inspiration. He believes in freedom, he stands up for freedom, and most of all he empowers others with freedom.
Peter Rothman
June 16, 2011
Thanks NJJN for publicizing this. Plenty of Jews own guns. Unfortunately, Jewish communal organizations such as the ADL are consistently on the wrong side of the “gun control” debate. Gun control doesn’t keep anyone safer, least of all Jews. It’s high time that the Jewish community woke up to this fact.
Russel
June 16, 2011
Unfortunately the vast majority of Jews in the U.S. will only start coming around to owning a firearm when it is too late, as our history has shown time and time again. We have gotten too comfortable in this country and rely too much on the government to protect us, we will pay the price, G-d forbid, soon.
Josh Levy
June 16, 2011
Thanks for the fair coverage! It’s refreshing to read an article that is not posing as an editorial, but simply states what happened, who was there, and what was said.
Cougel
June 16, 2011
Interesting article, and I commend you for your efforts to educate and reframe people’s thinking and attitudes. Not sure how I personally feel about, but probably need to learn more.
Joe Izrael
June 16, 2011
Nice article, it was a good event, wish there were more. Check out http://www.gunface.org/ if you want to learn guns.
Fred
June 16, 2011
Buying and owning a gun is not the answer. The answer is learn and respecting the tool that you have purchased to defend your home and protect your family. You must learn the proper use and care of this tool. You must only use it for self-defense from deadly force threats. All in your family should be educated to the use and respect this tool and its capabilities along with the results of the use. Pray that you never need to use this tool but be ready, alert and prepared to defend yourself.
Daniel
June 16, 2011
It is irresponsible to think that just by saying “never again” regarding the Holocaust, that human nature will learn and change. Human nature is human nature, and many people hate Jews, always have, and always will. Genocides continue to happen after the Holocaust, Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan, and will continue always. I think Jews who were disarmed by Nazi gun laws, and died in the holocaust, if they could speak now, would have something to say to “trusting” Jews who continue to live disarmed with faith in their respective “governments”
Bob
June 16, 2011
I am a gentile, but I was ambivalent about gun control until I was stationed in Germany in the 80’s and went to Dachau and being a student of history, I saw all the pictures of the SD pushing jews and other undesirables into a cattle car for “resettlement”. They had no means of defence and were at the total mercy of the state. I realized that such things can happen again and I swore that I would never be at the mercy of the state. I would have the God given means of defence and that the government cannot deprive me of my means of defence.
I cannot understand why people are willing to believe in the spectre of gun control. when seconds count, police are minutes away, unless you are an undesirable, then you are totally screwed. If you are dependent on the government for security, you are subservient to the same government.
Ted Rabinowitz
June 16, 2011
“If you make yourself into a sheep, you’ll find a wolf nearby.”—old Russian proverb.
Bob Dougall
June 16, 2011
I believe the rabbi is doing a very good thing..
Keep up the good work.
Bob
Izzy Salomon
June 16, 2011
Kudos to Ron Kaplan the author of this article for his fair and balanced article regarding this important issue
Peter C. Pillard
June 17, 2011
In 1959 (Chanukah/Christmas), my family journeyed from Manhattan to the Bronx to visit my aunt. On this eventful visit, I inquired of my aunt, as to “why she had numbers tattooed above her wrist?” Her response, geared to my youthful sensitivity, was most difficult - made even more so I suspect, when I cleared leather with my Fanner 50s cap pistols, asking, “Why didn’t you shoot them?”
On June 26, (2008) five Catholics (Alito, Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia, and Thomas) affirmed the Second Amendment as an individual right - Creator sourced - that predates secular government, thus preserving the viability of the United States and Israel, while four “black-robed anarchists” (Breyer, Ginsburg, Souter and Stevens) laid waste to the myth of an intellect, by nearly annihilating Israel and the United States with their attemted abrogation of the Constitution.
American Jewry’s left-wing, espousing their legal fiction on gun control, have disregarded contra-indicative evidence - GUN FREE ZONES KILL - as they attempt the usurpation of Creator-derived rights. Rights that will-safe guard Israel and the United States, as the very survival of America depends on GUNS, and the very survival of Israel depends on the United States - irrespective of the “victim disarmament” policies promulgated by self-destructive “Jews,” who, with flawed ideology, will march us all into the ovens - AGAIN.
After centuries of persecution and prosecution, the shtell mentality lives on - oh vey we are screwed - as our Christian allies are tired of being poked in the eye by left-wing gun-grabbers.
G-d bless Israel. G-d bless America. G-d bless Texas.
Ira
June 17, 2011
I am the “black sheep” of my family because I have been collecting guns and shooting for over 50 years.
One of my cousins (from New Jersey, no less) has repeatedly said to me “Good Jewish boys don’t own guns!”
At my daughter’s recent Conservative Jewish wedding reception, I was ostracized by several relatives acting in concert because I was a gun owner. Imagine what would have happened if they had known that I was legally carrying a concealed weapon.
Kudos to Rabbi Dovid Bendory; we need many more religious leaders like him!
imagine
David
June 17, 2011
Thank you Ron Kaplan for the unbiased journalism, it is seldom practiced today.
Doug Stead
June 17, 2011
I’d rather own a gun and not need it, than to need a gun and not own one!
Go to the best gun training school in the U.S. Front Sight at www.frontsight.com.
That’s where I first heard about the JFPO. Right on Rabbi!
Matt Murphy
June 17, 2011
Bottom line:
When seconds count and the police are minutes away, I’d prefe to own one.
Carl
June 20, 2011
Don’t worry- the government will protect you, anyways, it can’t happen here. Yeah right. Excellent article!
Ron
June 20, 2011
Too bad you guys live in the Peoples’ Democratic Republic Of New Jersey, where gun owners are frowned upon and concealed carry is not “shall issue”.
David
June 20, 2011
I applaud the Rabbi for being brave enough to speak out. Shocking after 9/11 and after the home grown terrorists who were plotting to bomb synagogues and after all American Jews supporting and raising money for Jews in Israel to buy guns and defend themselves from threats and sending their 18 year olds to study in yeshiva or seminary and take cool pictures with Israeli soldiers holding their guns.. SHOCKINGLY these same American’s ostracize and alienate those law abiding neighbors of theirs who choose to protect themselves by learning the gun laws and carrying concealed protection on their body.
Let me tell you of one such shocking story which happened about 5 years ago which hits close to home for me. I am not a gun owner however I know of one upstanding citizen who happens to be my uncle and a pillar in his community in an Orthodox synagogue who is a gun owner and has been for the past 26 years. He originally got a gun after his Jewelry business was invaded by intruders, since then his gun has saved his life at best or thwarted 2 similar attempts.
He was legally carrying a concealed weapon which was not showing at all or alarming anyone. Turns out one of his trusted ultra liberal “friends” wife who knew he was always carrying went and told the President of the shuls wife who in turn told her husband. (whom by the way was a card carrying liberal as well as a very moody fellow who people are afraid of because of his mood swings)
Long story short my uncle and pillar of his community who was well within his right to carry a concealed weapon on his body was called out in shul in a very public manner and treated by the President as if he was a common criminal. He was marched from the his shul seat during Torah reading by the President and was asked to go to the Rabbis office, he was asked if he was carrying, my uncle told them that he was and was then told by the president that his membership was null and void for “putting the lives of the women and children in the shul in grave danger” because as he put it “guns kill people and their is a risk of your gun accidentally discharging and killing someone” he was also told that the shul would not be able to accommodate his sons Bar mitzvah which was less than 1 month away.
Surprisingly even though the shul was split on this as they are in a very democratic liberal area, it turns out that after this public humiliation he privately received many calls of support, but the supporters asked not too tell the president about their support as they were afraid of his well known temper and going against him.
A few weeks later the fallout was that his membership was not revoked but he was told that it would be if he chose to invoke his right to carry in shul. He agreed because all of his friends and sons friends davened at this particular shul and his sons impending Bar Mitzvah was to take place less that one month away.
Finally after another situation of the president losing his cool on another shul member, my uncles friends and other members had decided to call him out. They called for a meeting with the Rabbi and President and the rest of the board to voice their disapproval of the treatment that my uncle received.
The Rabbi who is a young inexperienced Rabbi, in so many words admitted that he did not fully agree with the longtime Presidents stance but he had no choice but to go with it because the President took a stance that was so liberal and anti gun, basically the rookie Rabbi was afraid for his job. This man ended up leaving the shul and was welcomed with open arms at a smaller shul down the block and many members chose to leave the shul as well.
David
June 20, 2011
This whole episode was and still is swept under the carpet and the shul board refuses to rule one way or the other, the official unofficial policy is that you may carry as long as it is fully concealed, which is basically what my cousin was doing in the first place. the gun was not loaded and second of all this is complete hogwash. G-d forbid if somebody was to decide to attack this shul, be it a nutcase like in the Virginia tech case, or a member of the KKK or a Muslim (this shul is in a area that is heavily populated by radical Muslims) their would be nothing to stop attackers from systematically putting a bullet to the defenseless congregants heads. I would suggest if at all possible that the Rabbi and his group put together an education videos for Jewish establishments such as JCC’s and shuls on concealed gun laws so as to educate over zealot liberals like this shuls (ex) President on how to behave.
James J. Jentes
June 21, 2011
It is heartwarming to see the comments, presumably largely from Jews, taking the realistic, intellectually-honest, and Constitutionally-correct view both of the 2nd Amendment and of the concept of self-defense.
Some of the old-time readers of the Jewish News may recall the times – eight years ago plus – when yours truly was carrying on the pro-2nd Amendment discourse both in letters to the editor and in some stand-alone contributions to the Jewish News. At the time, it appeared that the “anti-gunners” were in the majority of readership. Not so anymore, if the comment, above, are any indication. That indeed is heartwarming, even for someone no longer in the People’s Republic of New Jersey (with its outright un-American gun laws.)
Woodpiggie
June 21, 2011
G-d Bless this Mensch!
Once upon a time Jews crawled through Polish sewers to trade their valuables for a few guns, not so they could survive, but so that they would be remembered for their courageous resistance to Hitler’s extermination program.
NEVER AGAIN!!!
phillybill
June 21, 2011
Search “Ask the Rabbi Mermelstein” and you will find a blurb “The Rabbis is Back.” There, you will find a large library of articles, including more than a few on the rabbinical justification for self defense, carry on the Sabbath and more.
Mark
June 22, 2011
I also would like to commend the publishing of this article. I am a retired Police Officer, a former Firearms instructor and a Reform Jew ( yes, I know , not alot of Jewish Cops- even though we are taught as Jews to defend the rights of the underdog, go figure)..I have for years carried concealedn (usually 2- primary & back-up, but thats me) when I went to Shul. I have been trained in Countrer Terrorism and Police response to Terrorist acts, so perhaps I speak from a slightly different position. I believe with absolute certainty that any lawfully carried firearm ( generally concealed- primarily as a sop to the delicate nature of those who would believe that if they hide their heads and dont see bad things, they wont be touched by them)willl at some point SAVE many people who would not think of asserting their own G-d given obligation to defend both themselves and others who arer essentially too weak (either physically or mentally) to defend themselves, but who will cry out loudly when some low life kills / injures one of these “Sheep” AS Lt. Col. David Grossman, a Retired Special Forces Officer and Lecturer says “THank G-d for the Sheepdogs” ( law enforcement / Military who protect the “Sheep” frpm the “Wolves” of the world..TIKKUN OLAM isnt just for a few, its for all of us!
RobInPA
June 22, 2011
Great article! Definately check out JPFO’s web-site, and watch the video’s that they’ve produced.
The 2A is the empowering force the guarantee’s the freedom in this country. Anyone that argues that ‘gun control’ is for the ‘good of the people’ is quite full of you know what.
Live in NY or NJ? Sorry to hear that. Move to PA. Our Commonwealth is a shall-issue state if one wants their LTCF. You may also carry openly, without any kind of permit or license, as guaranteed by the PA Constituion (provided you are not a ‘prohibited’ person).
Why are my fellow Jews in NY and NJ so willing to be led by the mis-guided Schumer and Lautenberg?
Fight for your RTKBA folks!!
Rob
J in PA
June 22, 2011
I am very pleased to read a pro 2a article in a NJ paper. Speaking as gentile I have never understood the Problem that American Jews have with firearms ownership. It seems to me that Jews would be the last people to want the government to have a monopoly on deadly force.
In 2008, 78% of American Jews voted for Barack Obama. Since then he has:
1) Shown himself to be an enemy of Israel and an anti-semite.
2) Attempted to undermine the 2a by arming the terrorist drug cartels in Mexico (google operation fast and furious)
What percent of American Jews will still vote for him in 2012?
Why is it that the states with the largest Jewish populations have the worst gun laws? Why is it that the most anti-gun politicians in the U.S. Congress are Jewish (Feinstein, Schumer, Weiner, etc.)?
Why is it that the most anti-gun members of the U.S. Supreme court are Jewish?
Why do American Jews vote for such seemingly self-destructive policies and people?
Samuel Scroggins
June 22, 2011
Rabbi Bendory is the type of man who is needed in today’s world. Everyone of us has the right to defend our life, our family and our property. Twenty men and women made a commitment to defend those rights. May G-D bless them and keep all of us safe.
Marc
January 17, 2012
Awesome article. I am familiar with the Rabbi as i have viewed jpfo’s film on multiple occasions ... I agree wholeheartedly with this article. As a NY born and raised Jew I am thankful I live in the south now where the constitution still has teeth. NY, NJ and the like are embarrassments, with voters who are equally as dumb and uninformed.
Jews being “against” guns is antithetical to any logic whatsoever, but unfortunately Jewish leadership is riddled with self proclaimed intellectuals and modified soccer moms who are vastly more concerned with the car they are driving or where they will be vacationing, as opposed to taking some accountability of safety both long and short term…
Its a shame but maybe the work of the good Rabbi and the like will educate some of the sheep…
Thank you for running the article.